Takeaways and Impressions

Christal:    Olde Towne East continues to be one of my favorite neighborhoods in the Columbus area. Not only the charm and relaxing atmosphere throughout the day, but the original stone and brick architectural design has a breath taking affect.

The revitalization of the area is a much needed project for what is known as one of the oldest areas. As the area continues to redevelop through investment buys, it is my belief that the importance of partnerships of older residents serves key in preventing the eyebrow raising term “gentrification”.

OTENA (Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association), has actively begun the process of making a safer and friendlier community for all residents and visitors. Thereby giving a more welcoming environment to individuals that may tour the area as did we.

Like all things this area is going through a cyclical process, that in these times could bring different results if handled to quickly and without a well thought out strategy. In my opinion, over the next 5-10 years, beautification of this area will once again take precedence while trying to regain attraction to the downtown area.

Lauren: I think both of these neighborhoods have a lot of potential to be vibrant and diverse as long as the restrictions on property regulations stay fairly loose.  Olde Towne East's neighborhood association leaves a lot up for owners to decide how they develop their property, from paint colors and facade work to yard decisions.  Mayor Coleman has not chosen to let this neighborhood be identified as historic (although it is very much), and as long as it stays that way, the home and rent prices in some parts of the neighborhood can stay fairly low.

This area has a sense of place to me because of its large landmark "anchor," the Franklin Park Conservatory.  From here, other shops, galleries, and restaurants are popping up that will stay in the neighborhood because of the loyalty by residents, and the marketing by well known Columbus newspapers.

There are still some unsafe areas of OTE and Franklin Park, but overall I think it would make an excellent place to live.  Bus lines stop throughout both neighborhoods, and it is a great link between Bexley and downtown.  It has more of an informal and laid back feel compared to the manicured and formal attitudes of the former.



Will:  Knowing the history of these neighborhoods I believe this neighborhood could even out in terms of housing values and diversity, but it would take some grass roots planning.  I loved the fact that in our interviews people knew each other, looked out for each other, and have been there long term.  One of the people we interviewed told us they just stay out of the crime but call the police if they see questionable activity.  That says a lot about a neighborhood.

The place is beautiful on one street and ugly on the next, it is like night and day over and over.  This actually can be positive because with so much vacancy and dilapidation the investment is low therefore the rent can stay affordable and won't displace current residents.  There is much investment going in and around the neighborhoods so in reality things are looking up, only time will tell.  Some things going in are new transit centers, neighborhood health centers, and affordable retail.  This benefits much of the lower income population.  Overall I think the neighborhood is headed in the right direction.

Location, location, location.  That's what its all about.  These neighborhoods have the location and the amenities for public services are being reestablished.  I believe there is good opportunity to improve the housing while still keeping it affordable for current residents and the current high value places will also benefit.  I like this neighborhood and have learned a lot in the fieldwork we have done.

Architecural Designs

Queen Anne

A more up-to-date sense

American Foursquare 

American Craftsman

Zoning and land use

Source: City of Columbus, Planning Division - Near East Area Plan

You can see a few clear patterns in the zoning for the Near East Side.  Broad Street is zoned primarily for apartments and offices (mixed use), while Main Street is primarily a commercial corridor.  In between, it is primarily residential, with pockets of commercial throughout.  The majority of the neighborhood is for single family, but there are many apartment and multifamily options as well.

Source: City of Columbus, Planning Division - Near East Area Plan

Historic Compatibility
Newer construction should strive for compatibility, but not direct imitation of what once was.  Overall, the character should feel the same.

Ethinic and Racial Diversity/Transistion

In the late 1800's when the Surburban area was first developed it was home to many White affluent residents. As the founders of the quiet neighborhood died, the development of "New Money" began to grow just east in Bexley.

The development of the Interstate brought about a cultural change, of African American families that occupied the once bricked streets. During the 50s until about the mid 70s, Franklin park was consider by the locals as "Black Park". Those who were youngster during that time, recall how there had been streets that you drive throught out the park. They say, as Veterans came home and drugs became a festering problem, the Park became home to drug trafficking and late night "Partying". Officials stepped in prohibiting driving through the park and began to police the area on a regular basis.

As mentioned in "Flag Wars" families began to allow the test of time wear on the homes. What might have been a minor problem to fix when first happened, turn into a host of issues due to lack of sufficient maintenence and upkeep.

Rolling in to the late 20th century and now into the 21st, it has been noticed that many White/Gay individuals have moved into the area recreating what once was. The movie "Flag Wars", touches on concerns of individuals that have lived in the area for years and now feel as if they are being pushed out by this group of individuals.

As you will see in other post whether they are White, Gay, Straight, African American, Young or Old, Olde Towne East has definitely been on the move of Redevelopment!

Gentrification Efforts in the 90's

Mimicking many other old Columbus neighborhoods like Victorian Village, Short North, German Village, etc the Olde Town East Neighborhood had their own efforts.  Similar to that of most gentrification efforts these displaced people in many ways.  Some of the efforts to "revitalize" the neighborhood included a commission and extremely strict code enforcement.  The code enforcement was targeted to homes that were or could become profitable for real estate speculators.  The city of course obliged based on the fact the new investment would bring capital and tax dollars back into the neighborhood.  This was of course extremely unfair to those on a fixed income who had lived there for years.  The residents not only couldn't afford to make improvements the city was all of the sudden making up and enforcing but they were having hefty fines being levied on them and their homes.  A very strong arm move by the city and it worked on a limited scale.  A very interesting thing was those codes were not enforced city wide, just in areas of interest.  At the end of the 90's and into the recession interest in the Olde Town East area dwindled which is why the housing market is so disparate. 

Disparate Housing Market

Franklin Park Housing Map (Data provided by Zillow)

Olde Town East Housing Map (Data Provided by Zillow)

The housing market in Olde Towne East and Franklin Park is disparate.  In the Franklin Park neighborhood homes are listed today anywhere from $10,000-$379,000.  A pretty large jump for homes less than a block from each other.  In the Olde Towne East Neighborhood homes range from $20,000-$525,000.  This of course does not include abandoned, vacant, or foreclosed homes which are not on the market.  There were a substantial number of these we saw on our tours of the neighborhood.  Much of this had to do with Gentrification Efforts in the 90's. 


 

Activities in the Neighborhood

Source: dispatch.com

Tour of Homes
Happens once a year every summer.  People can have their house sponsored to be a part of the tour.  This is a very popular event for residents of the neighborhood and of Columbus alike.  Last year, the tour was showcased in the Dispatch.  This tour especially featured the gardens of Gary Ross (above), James Arter, Robert Pilarski, and Chet Domitz.  Ross is a sculpture professor at Capital University, so he is very much a local and has a lot of knowledge about the area.

Source: http://chopchopgallery.tumblr.com/shop

Galleries
More and more galleries are opening shop in OTE, in part because of the large artist community moving in.  Chop Chop Gallery (above) is located on Parsons Avenue.  It also houses Opal Stackhouse, a mix of reclaimed furnishings and vintage hardware.  Chop Chop is a more traditional artist's gallery.  Both of these opened this year, so they are fairly new additions to the neighborhood.

Source: oldetowneeast.org

Near East Side Farmer's Market
This farmer's market is held every Saturday all through the summer at the corner of Main Street and 18th Avenue (southwest side of OTE).

Broad Street

CBD for the area typically lie right on the boundaries of the area. Beginning at Broad St./Interstate 71, the use of what is classified as Mansions are occupied by various businesses. Although some of these Mansions are vacant, those that are not house Law offices, Business/Social Services, and Worship Centers just to name a few.

                       

 While heading east of the Interstate High Rises and Historical English are being occupied as Apartment living. The Square footage of most properties are not less than 2500 on what was once used as the path from Washington D.C.

                                                       

                                                                             

Census Data

Demographic Profile
	OTE / Franklin Park	Franklin County
Total population	9615	1163414
Housing	5686	527186
Vacant	1516	49951
Male pop.	5038	566499
Female pop.	4577	596915
Under 18	2256	278542
18+	7359	884872
White	2688	247255
Black	6430	44996
Asian	57

Interviews

Both groups of people we talked with really loved living in Olde Towne East / Franklin Park neighborhood.  One group had recently moved, while the other had lived there over 5 years, and had a large part in transforming the neighborhood.

THE Conservatory

The Conservatory

The purchase of 88 acres of land served an intial intent of being home to the Franklin County Fair. Later, in 1874 the Franklin County Agricultural Society seen both the potential and the importanc of the land, making a decision to purchase and additional 5 acres. Thereby creating it to be the original home of The Ohio State Fairgrounds.

(Source: dispatch.com)

With the Fairgrounds relocating further north, the abandonment of the acreage the Legislature deemed the open space as a public park in 1886. While the Chicago influenced glass horticultural structure was erected in 1895.

Know the park is still used as a public park, it also continues to host various events, festivals and weddings. The Park/Conservatory's beauty resurrected in the early '90s after the AmeriFlora exhibit!

Take a Look

This 49,000 sq ft building occupies 3.14 acres of the Oak St./Kelton cross-section. The lot formally was used to operate daily the streetcar system to trolley coaches in  the mid 1900s.

The property was purchased for $6,800, by Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric Company a subsidary of American Electric Power in 1937

(Source: Franklin County Auditor, 2011)

http://www.franklincountyoh.metacama.com/do/selectDisplay?select=PHOTO&curpid=01006658500

 

Walking Tour

To begin: Park at Franklin Park Conservatory.  Walk through the park to Franklin Park South.

 Walk down and turn right on Morrison Avenue.  Continue until reaching Bryden Road.

Walk on Bryden Road (one of Columbus' many bikeways) to Wilson Avenue.  Walk from Wilson Avenue to Oak St.

Oak Street is very much a street in transition.  There are many many messy and vacant lots, but there are also some hopeful signs of revitalization, such as this new bakery at Oak and Champion, and renovated condominiums at Oak and Sherman.  While walking on Oak Street, one has a feeling of being just outside the city because the skyscrapers from downtown are visible all the way down the street. Continue on Oak Street and Bryden Road until reaching Parsons Avenue.

Parsons Avenue is the most concentrated area of commercial development in OTE and Franklin Park.  It is a favorite among locals for its bars, cafes, and eateries.  The street also has a decent amount of art galleries.  Make your way back to Franklin Park Conservatory.

The end of the tour takes you around Franklin Park on the west side.  There are more homes in need of renovation on this side of the park (see above left), but others already have a nice street presence.

Churches and Schools

This map shows the churches and schools located within the boundary lines.  While both neighborhoods have become very diverse, they still have low numbers in terms of families and children who are moving into the area.  One major reason for this is probably due these neighborhoods being under the Columbus City School District. Also, there are not many schools in the neighborhood.

Neighborhood boundaries

This map shows the boundaries between the neighborhoods of Olde Towne East and Franklin Park in context to the rest of Columbus.  Data was found on the density of Olde Towne East, and it is much more dense compared to the city of Columbus as a whole.  There is a population of 6,925 within 1.205 sq miles for this neighborhood.  

Source: city-data.com (based on 2008 figures)

A walk around the neighborhood